RSA Insurance Group – Important Update

In order to stay committed to excellence and fully support our clients, Paragon Veterinary Referrals in West Yorkshire will now be subsidising the £200 fee that may be charged to our clients by the Royal Sun Alliance (RSA) as part of their preferred provider’s scheme.

Paragon Veterinary Referrals are still firmly committed to their views regarding the RSA ‘Preferred Referral Network Scheme’, and remain as one of many centres which are not part of this scheme but nevertheless provide excellent referral services.

Paragon Veterinary Referrals remain dedicated to the beliefs that:

The freedom of first opinion veterinary surgeons to recommend referral of patients to whichever Specialists or referral clinicians they choose, on the basis of their own clinical judgement, is a fundamental tenet of veterinary practice in the UK that should be safeguarded at all costs.

The concept of insurance companies nominating ‘Preferred Providers’ seeks to erode this freedom of choice and encourages referrals to be made, and treatments to be performed, on the basis of financial considerations rather than what is most clinically appropriate, and that this will inevitably erode standards of care.

Whilst there is a clear need for insurers and the profession to engage with each other and constructively discuss the issue of fee inflation, this should be based on the understanding that there is a difference between cost and value for money.

If the case is an emergency or there is no relevant specialist on the ‘Preferred Provider List’ close to the client, the £200 payment may be waived by the RSA.